Celebrating 20 years of normalization of Vietnam-US trade relations

On the morning of February 11 (Vietnam time), at the Dirksen building of the US Senate, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US solemnly held a ceremony to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the normalization of Vietnam-US trade relations (February 3, 1994 - February 3, 2014).

The ceremony was attended by about 300 guests including members of Congress, government officials, business leaders, non-governmental organizations, American friends, members of the US negotiating delegation for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and diplomats from countries participating in the TPP negotiations.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong (left) welcomes Secretary of State John Kerry. Photo: VNA

Among the US politicians attending the ceremony were Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John McCain, two politicians who led the effort to lift the embargo on Vietnam in 1994. Also present at the ceremony were prestigious congressmen who have long supported US-Vietnam relations such as the President of the Senate, Senator Patrick Leahy; Senator Tom Harkin; Senator John Isakson; Senator Mark Prayor; Senator Jeff Flake; Congressman Kurt Schrader and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russel...

On the Vietnamese side, attending the ceremony, in addition to a large number of Embassy officials and Vietnamese representative agencies in Washington, there was also the presence of Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the United Nations.

Former President Bill Clinton, who signed the decision to lift the embargo on Vietnam in 1994, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent letters and video clips to celebrate this solemn ceremony, wishing that the relationship between the US and Vietnam will continue to develop deeper and stronger for the benefit and prosperity of the people of both countries.

US Senators and officials attending the ceremony (from left) John McCain, John Kerry, Jeff Flake, Tom Harkin, Mark Pryor.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong warmly welcomed the presence of many distinguished guests and American friends who have supported the development of Vietnam-US relations over the years. The Ambassador recalled the event on February 3, 1994, when former US President Bill Clinton announced the lifting of the trade embargo against Vietnam, marking an important milestone in the history of relations between the two countries.

In a recent letter to former President Clinton on the occasion of this anniversary, President Truong Tan Sang said that “this decision has closed a difficult chapter in the history of the two countries, opening a new era of bilateral relations”. Since that turning point, both countries have benefited greatly and contributed positively to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Cuong emphasized that with courage, trust, intelligence and vision from both sides, the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the US has increasingly developed and in July 2013, the two countries established a Comprehensive Partnership framework.

Two-way trade turnover has now reached nearly 30 billion USD, an increase of more than 130 times compared to 1994. Vietnam is currently the 29th largest trading partner of the US. Trade growth between the two countries is 20% annually. Each year, about 1,800 containers of agricultural products such as fruits, meat, poultry, and dairy products from the US arrive at Vietnamese ports.

Senator John McCain (right) visits the photo space of 20 years of Vietnam - US trade relations.

In 2013 alone, Vietnamese companies signed contracts to buy US jet engines and wind turbines worth $2.6 billion, helping create tens of thousands of jobs for the US manufacturing sector. With a total direct investment of $11 billion, the US currently ranks 7th among countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Meanwhile, for the first time last year, a Vietnamese private company committed to investing in manufacturing in the state of Arkansas. The Ambassador believes these numbers will continue to grow after the TPP is signed.

The ceremony became especially lively with people and names that have become familiar, many years of supporting reconciliation, nurturing and developing Vietnam - US relations. Senator McCain and former Senator, Secretary of State Kerry are two veterans of the Vietnam War, one a Democrat, one a Republican, who have worked tirelessly to create bipartisan support to promote bilateral relations between the two countries in many fields.

Speaking at the ceremony, the two senators emotionally recalled the difficult and thorny journey that the Vietnam-US relationship has gone through as well as shared their efforts in advocating for the removal of the embargo and normalization of relations between the two countries. Both Secretary of State Kerry and Senator McCain emphasized the historical significance of the Bill Clinton administration's decision on February 3, 1994, to lift the embargo, paving the way for an increasingly expanded and beneficial trade relationship between the two countries.

Senator John Kerry speaks.

Secretary Kerry recalled the memories of the 10 years of hard work and effort with Senator McCain, with many visits to Vietnam by Senator McCain, before reaching the above historic decision. Secretary Kerry said that during his first visit to Vietnam in late 2013 as Secretary of State, he saw in Vietnam, the country and its people, great potential for the two countries to continue expanding their relationship. Senator McCain said that in 1994, when campaigning to lift the embargo on Vietnam, he could not imagine that 20 years later, the US-Vietnam relationship would develop as rapidly as it is today, with two-way trade turnover from several hundred million USD to approximately 30 billion USD, and from several hundred Vietnamese students studying at universities and graduate schools in the US having increased to more than 16,000 people.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a video clip sent to the ceremony, recalled the wonderful impressions, including the hospitality of the Vietnamese people, that she deeply engraved in her mind during the first visit of a US President to Vietnam, Mr. Bill Clinton in 2000. Mrs. Hillary said that in 2010, when she returned to visit Vietnam as Secretary of State, she was surprised by Vietnam's economic development achievements, and expressed her belief that the relationship between the two countries will develop more deeply and strongly in the next 20 years. Representatives of General Electric (GE) and the US Chamber of Commerce also spoke to emphasize the significance of the decision to lift the embargo in 1994, paving the way for the US-Vietnam relationship to develop deeply and comprehensively as it is today.

Guests reviewed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's message on Vietnam-US relations.

In an atmosphere of solidarity, friendship and mutual understanding, the guests toasted, enjoyed traditional Vietnamese dishes and admired the photo exhibition capturing the historic moments in the relationship between the two countries over the past 20 years.

According to Tintuc